Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1887-02-20

feet. and condemned, hungry maRpte |
- crow being she exeeuti0neF. Ihe ex-
frerne pastisans ~ the ether school take
a entfrely opposite view. They regard
fka llffle hedge Sparrow not only ~ q
fTss aoeni, bat a. 3 highly intelligent
one. Who lays bine eRas beoauss the in
herifsd experiences Of many generations
has convineed her that. everything con
afdersd, biae Il the nOst suitabio colof
for eQes.
Perhsps the Art esnsralixatiou that
the eeq collector Il likely 70 make n
fhe fact that birds that breed 10 holes
Law Write eggs. The sand martin and
fha kfnaasheF, whieh lag their eQgs ~
TIE end u long barrow N the bank. ss
welI e. the owl and wocdpeckeF, which
kreaa Ia holes IN trees. all lay white
egea. The fact Of the eees being white,
ana consequently veTy conspicuous,
NAV have been the eause. tke eject BE-
inc thai only those kfnahshefs which
breed n holes survived 10 the struggle
for eKistenas against the mafanding
nnaapla. Bat the converse argument
a equally ineligible. The fact that
kinanahars breed II holes may have
baen the cause, and the whiteneaa Of
the EGG the effect; for shy Should ma
turo, who Il generally % economical.
waste her oolorine matter on an eRR
which, being incubated Ia The DARK, can
neTer bs soen1 The fact that many
petFela aad most pnfana. which breed IN
holes, have traces Of spots on their
eggs, while their relations the auks and
tie RuIls, Who lay their egRs IN open
nests, nearly ali lay highly eolored eggs,
suggests the theory that the former
birds have comparatively recently
adopted the habit Of breeding In holes,
and that, consequently, She color, being
no longer Of use, ie gradually fading
away. Hence, We assume that the color
Of the eag Is probably the eject Of She
nature 81 The locality 10 which II IL
laid.
Tho second generalization which the
eqn oolIecter IA likely 10 make In tbs
fact that 80 many OF these birds which
breed IN holes are RoFeeoualy oolortd,
such % kinafishers, parrots, bee eaters.
etc. The question naturally arises.
why IL ID cor The advooafes Of protect
i've selection reply: Because their gay
pIumaQe made them 20 conspicuous as
thew al upon their nests, that those
thai did not breed IN hOios became the
" as the c0napiennus white eggs were
eaten BY maIaudinR maRpios. But the
advocates Of sexual selection say that
all birds are equally vain, and wear as
flns clothes ~ nataFs will lot them, and
that the kiughaher is able 70 dEess ~
R0geounly ~ be does because be Il pFu-
dent enough 20 breed IN q hole safe
from the prying eyes Of the doyouring
hawk The fact that many birds such
as the aAnd martin and the dippeF,
which breed IN holes are not goFgeoRsly
ooiorod, while others suah ~ the pleas
ants and the humming birds, are Ror.
geously oolored, bat do not breed In
holes. IL evidence, a. far ~ Il goes,
thai the gorgeous color Of the bird IL
not ths effect Of its breeding IN bole,
though the white ooloF Of the eQo prob.
ably IL. IL must be admitted, however,
that the latter eases are not parallel.
While the hen kingashera aud bee eat
eFs are as gorgeous ~ their mates. the
hen pheasanis and The hen hurnmlng
birds ara piatniy, not 10 say shabbily
dressed. IL birds be as vain a. the ad-
voeAtss % sexual selection deem them,
Il must BE- source Of deep modification
10 hen humminn bird 10 have 10 pass
through life ~ foil 10 her rainbow
hued mate. While tie klnghsher relies
for the safety OF lta eggs upon the con-
eealed situation Of he nest. the ham-
ming bird depends upon the unsbtru-
sisonoss Of the plumage Of the sitting
hen.
a very large number Of birds, such a.
The grease, the merlin, most eulls and
terns, and all aAndplpefs and plovers,
rely for the safety 81 their eggs upon
the similarity OF thelr color 20 the
ground on which they are placed. Il
may be an opsn question whether these
birds select q cite for their breeding
ground te match the color Of the eggs,
or whether they have gradually changed
the color 81 their eggs 20 match the
ground on which they breed; but In the
absence Of any evidences 10 the contrary,
u Il peRhapa fair 30 assume, a. In the
pEsyiously mentioned cases. that the po-
Hiiion Of The nest Il the cause, and the
color Of the egg the effect.
Many birds make their nests 10 lefty
trees, OF % lodges Of pFecipltoas eliEa.
OF these. The eagles, talteres aud cruws
are oonaploaons examples. They are,
for the moei part. too powerful 10 be
afraid Of the masMudiug magpia, and
only fear the attacks Of beasts Of prev,
ameng which they doabsleas classify
the human race. They rely for the
safety Of their eggs on ths inaccessible
positions Of the nest. Many Of them
also belong 30 q atili larger GROUP Of
birds Who rely for the safety Of their
eggs upon their ewn ability, either
sinely, IN pairs. or Ia colonies. 10 defend
them against all Aggreaaera. Few coie-
niea OF birds ara more interesting than
those Of hcf0ns, ecrmorante. and their
respective allies. These birds lay white |
Or nearly white eggs. NataFe. With her
customary thrift, hes lavished no color |
npon them, because. apparently, Il |
would have been wasted enoFt 10 do 80; |
but the EGGS Of the euiliemot are q re- |
exceptton 10 Tits rule. Few /
akEa are more gcrgeoneiy aolered and /
20 eoMa exhibits such variety Of color.
ll IL impossible 10 sup,esa that pretee-
live SELECTION can have produced coloFa
~ conspicuous on the white lodges Of /
he chalk ciinai aad sexual selection i
must have bsen equally powerless. II
would be too tadicE0us suggestion 10
suppose thai = cook gEilieaot fell in
love with plain eoleFed ben because
be remembered that last seasau she laid
/ gray cel0red eeg. IL cannot be acct
lent that eAoeea the .asllemst's eess 10
sa 30 handsome and 80 varied. In the
sasa az birds breeding IN holes secure
from tie pgyina eyes OF the naArandtne
nagpfc. no color Is wasted who're u i
a0l wasted.
The mere deeply nature Ia stadied.
lie more certain seems % be The cen
atuaion thai Al haF anaiaes yarfetx IA
De result % evo,atics. Il seeFas also 10
Be more Aad more eeFtAin thai raiarAi
h noe the cause % sealatian.
bat only is guide. Variation Il TIE
'Nuee OF evolatiaa. hat tha csnse o.
y aaknswn. Il seems 20 b. a
mistake 10 cali variation spostAneuaa.
OF aacideasSi. than whieh
ne Aaiecsisss sesa accurate
- HacFe misleading eeald be seasd.
The Atheaiau philosophers displayed
less seieDtlhe Altitude 81 nind toward
he unknown whea they boiit an altar
II ia honor.